Interhabs and the 2022 World Championships
For many athletes, participating in a World Championship sporting event is an exciting accomplishment. That being said, the experience can also be nerve-wracking, and can be made more difficult by the many things to think about when preparing for such an event. Athletes must consider travel arrangements, accommodations, transport, shipping and storage, and many other details that can be easily forgotten.
For sailors taking part in the 2022 49er, 49erFx, Nacra 17 World Championships, occurring this summer in Hubbards, Nova Scotia, one of these major details has been generously taken care of by Interhabs, a local construction company. Interhabs has taken the pressure off of the athletes in terms of finding storage for their boats and equipment, which are kept in storage containers and have been shipped from countries all around the world, by offering to store these containers on their property in Hubbards. Aside from solving this logistical problem, Interhabs has offered their property to the athletes for free, saving the teams hundreds of dollars. Alison Briand, the Social Media and Advertising Director for Interhabs, says she hopes their contribution will “make it easier for them [the athletes] to focus on the event and excelling at their race”.
Founded in 1975, Interhabs is a construction company that specializes in custom designed homes and panelized wall systems, focusing on high quality craftmanship and an efficient building strategy. By using a panelized system, in which the wall panels of a home are built in a facility and then shipped to site for assembly, Interhabs reduces up to 60% of construction waste. Interhabs’ focus on sustainability goes even further than this, taking advantage of unused wood scraps from projects and using them as a heat source in their wood burning furnace inside their facility.
As a business local to the Hubbards area, Interhabs is quite involved in the community. Interhabs is part of the Hubbards Business Association and likes to “support local as much as possible”, says Briand. The company is partnered with other local construction businesses, such as Chester Building Supplies and Nova Scotia Building Supplies, located in Mahone Bay. Briand says that Interhabs “likes to keep it local”, working with local people and involving local artisans when they can. “We very much want to support the people around us,” Briand explains.
Like the rest of the Hubbards community, Interhabs is excited for the World Championships and what it will bring to the area. “It’s a very cool event to come to Hubbards,” says Briand, “it gives us a nice international stage to be a part of, but it’s also a great event for the community.” Briand says that she hopes the event will “bring people in and create a festive atmosphere” in the Hubbards community. Briand believes that the event “will have a lasting impact on the community,” and says that Interhabs is “very lucky and very happy” to be a part of it.
If there’s one thing Interhabs would like the community and the world to know about them, Briand says, “We’re here, we’re open to working with people, and we love doing all kinds of projects, big and small.”
Interhabs is an integral part of the Hubbards community, building beautiful homes and cottages, supporting local business and people, and making invaluable contributions to events such as the World Championships, which the Organizing Committee and international sailing teams are extremely grateful for.